Under the new system, if a customer wanted something different on his hamburger, he faced a major delay in service. The McDonalds believed choices meant delays and chaos. After some experimentation—regular heat lamps had failed—they figured out that they could keep the hamburgers hot with infrared lights. “Our whole concept was based on speed, lower prices, and volume,” Dick McDonald said. In front of the drive-in they erected a sign with a chef whose name was Speedy. MCDONALD’S FAMOUS HAMBURGERS, said the sign, BUY ’M BY THE BAG. And larger than the letters of the name was the price: 15
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